Erik's Story: A Vignette
by Adriatic Rose
Summary: Not many people know about Erik's name. I think that is how he likes it. This is a brief, literary overlook on our favorite Phantom. It is not too scholarly, but it is profound. For anyone who loves any version of Erik's story.


HEY! It's your lovely writer here! Okay, to start off, I would just like to apologize for not updating my Peter Pan story. Needless to say, I am very disappointed with it. I will not stop writing it, but after being confronted with work that is far greater than my own on this site, I feel I owe to you all to clean up my act in a way. It will be soon-ish, because every day that passes and I look at the work… I so want to fix it! But I need to take this school year seriously, and so with college visits and a job shadow to do, I am swamped. But have no fear! I have made it my life's mission (aside from proving to the whole world that the Phantom, Peter Pan, and all of my favorite characters exit) to fix the story and make it worthy of all your wonderful eyes!

…Sorry that seemed so poetic and stuff… I have been reading too much American Romanticism in English… GO EMERSON! (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Without further ado, here is (drum roll!)

O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Erik: A Vignette on The Phantom of the Opera 

For many of us, the reason we are here is because we can recall the strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera. And so we are sitting in our rooms, at our desks, behind our parents' backs. We are on the computer, on the laptop, or on some electronic device, reading this tale. At some point, we have read the book, seen the Broadway, or watched the film, and become entranced. In some way or another, a version of the story has pulled us into _his_ world. You may wonder why I am not using _his_ name. My answer is simple: in my copy of the novel, on page 107, there is a line – _"He said that he had no name and no country and that he had taken the name of Erik by accident." _In truth, we the audience have no proof that _his_ name is and was always Erik.

In a sense, the Phantom never had a true name, one to call _his_ own, and so took the name Erik so that _he_ could have one. We the audience can then infer that the name of Erik is one that is chosen by people who have nothing left. They are nobody, and want nothing more than the world to recognize them as a human being. So perhaps, we the audience have some power. Perhaps, by calling our beloved Phantom by _his_ accidental name, we in turn give _him_ the gift _he_ has always needed.

The Gift of Love.

"Erik" is a name that one takes when he is desiring the greatest necessity of life.

You, my dear reader, must speak of it with reverence and care. Remember, Erik controls all the chandeliers over our heads…

The name then forms a face, no matter how grotesque. This face becomes a mangled, emaciated body. The body then becomes the man; the maddest and yet sanest one to date. Though Erik was taught to think otherwise, his life has meaning. Without Erik, there would be no reason to love the dark; no reason to love the music it brings us. Without Erik, "phans" everywhere would not have a reason to love opera, art, and the depth of longing. We would not have a reason to wear black, love roses, or be prone to violent mood swings with our poor, unhappy Erik.

So keep this in mind the next time you hear Erik's story. He just might be watching you!

O.O.O.O.O.O.O

So, what did you think? It just came to me the other day in Student Pubs/Newspaper class. I tweaked it a bit, but the way it is now is pretty much how I wrote it down the first time around. For those of you who do not know, a vignette is… "In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object." At least that is what Wikipedia says. And that is basically how I thought it was.

Overall, this is a quick overview of the name Erik as it pertains to _The Phantom of the Opera._ Your insight is most crucial in determining if I need to fix this piece. My thanks to my new English teacher this school year. She made my class write a vignette about their own name, and so this was born. I am thinking of writing more of them for Peter Pan and others.

Also, I do not take credit for the "Erik controls the chandeliers over your heads" bit. That belongs to Michael Crawford. For proof, look up on Youtube: _Michael Crawford sharing an anecdote about Phantom - Audio Only. _

Again, I cannot thank you all enough for reading this.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,

Adriatic Rose


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